by Kenneth T. Walsh

Obama tries to counter his critics' charges of 'otherness' by connecting with voters

One of President Obama's biggest problems is that he sometimes comes across as an elitist. Critics say he doesn't clearly project his feelings or the depth of his convictions or his understanding of the lives of everyday people. "They don't think he's one of them," says a prominent Democratic strategist. "He's not a show-your-feelings guy like Bill Clinton. He has a very intellectual approach." This perceived lack of being simpatico is a rising concern among Democratic strategists as they try to salvage the midterm elections and, beyond that, position Obama for his expected re-election campaign in 2012.

But now it appears that the president finally gets it. He has been taking steps to reconnect with America beyond Washington, and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says this type of engagement will be a big part of Obama's approach through the November 2 elections and after.

Recently, Obama met with John Nicholas and Nicole Armstrong at their home in Fairfax, Va., a traditionally Republican state that he carried in 2008. Nicholas works for a technology company, and Armstrong recently returned to work as a part-time administrator at a local preschool to help make ends meet. After chatting with the couple, the president moved to his hosts' backyard for a half-hour discussion about the economy, with two dozen local residents and small-business owners. And Obama showed that he still has the common touch. Noticing that the guests were broiling, he said, "I know folks in the sun are hot. I'm going to stand in the sun to make sure that you know that I feel your pain." It may have been a spontaneous throwaway line (borrowed from Bill Clinton), but it made the larger point that Obama was trying to understand the plight of middle-class Americans and put himself in their shoes.

Later, he talked about how important such events are to him. "I was telling John and Nicole that a lot of times, when you're in Washington, you're busy, you've got a lot of stuff to do," he said. "And you're in a bubble when you're president. And sometimes you just don't have the opportunity to have the kinds of interactions that I used to have even when I was a senator." White House aides say that's going to change and these "interactions" will increase, and indeed he had a similar event on Wednesday.

Another example of his new outreach strategy came at his news conference on September 10. Obama, usually controlled and unflappable, conveyed some emotion when he talked about sending soldiers, including Muslim Americans, into harm's way and how unfair it is for anyone to be prejudiced against Americans who practice Islam. This was in reaction to a Florida pastor who was threatening to burn copies of the Koran, the holy word of the Muslim faith.

And Obama got personal during a recent speech in suburban Cleveland. He talked about the economy and pointedly reminded his audience of the sacrifices made by his grandparents in raising him and of his mother's struggle with financial setbacks that required her, as a single mom, to take federal assistance when he was a boy.

Obama's perceived aloofness has provided an opening exploited by some of his fiercest critics, who have sought to magnify his "otherness" with false rumors about his birthplace, his faith, and, most recently, what former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called his "Kenyan anti-colonial" world view.

Obama's supporters acknowledge that the president has made some mistakes in conveying who he is. One was going on summer vacation last month to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, where the privileged go to play, amid bad economic times for millions. When he discusses issues, Obama regularly descends into wonk-speak, taking a professorial approach rather than talking in a more accessible way. And his wife, Michelle, seemed more than a bit insensitive when she went to Spain with one of their daughters this summer, stayed at a posh resort, and met the king and queen.

According to Gibbs, Obama seems intent on making this backyard strategy permanent. He plans to do a lot more "people events" like the one in Fairfax, informally chatting in homes and yards, in coffee shops and diners, at town-hall meetings, and in other settings. It's all about reconnecting. Ronald Reagan was able to do it. So was Bill Clinton, even in tough times. And at his best, George W. Bush could do it too. These predecessors are now models for Obama.

 

Available at Amazon.com:

The Feminine Mystique

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The Virtues of Mendacity: On Lying in Politics

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The Political Fix: Changing the Game of American Democracy, from the Grassroots to the White House

 

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Obama Tries to Channel Clinton and Reagan With Backyard Strategy | Politics

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